Faith Enough to Fly A Michael and Connie Story
by boxofpaperclips
Summary: Post-ep to Tango - as if there aren't enough of those already!
1. Faith Enough to Fly

Connie Rubirosa stormed away from the courthouse, briefcase in hand. _That stupid bastard, _she thought. _That stupid tool, pimping me out to the jury like that. _She felt like just collapsing on to a street corner and crying. _That can wait until I get home, _Connie thought.

Michael returned to the office in a daze. He sat down at his desk, shocked at how things had gone with Connie.

"So," said Jack, poking his head through the door, "what was the verdict?"

"Guilty," sighed Mike.

"You don't look so enthused about that," said Jack, sitting down in a chair in Mike's office. "Is it about Connie?"

Michael sighed. "I just feel guilty about the whole thing with Mr. Campbell."

"And a bit jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous?" said Mike. Jack's question had caught him off guard.

"Because you feel just the same way about her," said Jack. "And honestly, I get. Did you hear about Claire Kincaid and me? Okay, everyone has heard about Claire and me. All I'm saying is just make sure that your heart is in the right place." With that, Jack got up and left.

Mike sat for a few seconds, absorbing what Jack had told him. Then he stood up.

He had an apology to make.

Connie, in sweatpants and a baggy sweater, sat on the couch, her eyes glued to the TV. Greasy cardboard cartons that were at one point filled with Chinese food sat beside her.

She was trying not to burst in to tears for the third time that hour. She still wanted Mike. She wanted him bad. Even when he did stupid, boneheaded stuff to her. How could she love and hate someone at the same time as much as she did.

A knock at the door interrupted her musings. _Who would want to talk to me at seven-thirty on a Wednesday night? _She thought. Some deep part of her wished that it was Mike.

Unfortunately, her wishes were not answered. Her mystery knocker turned out to be Juror #8, Mr. Campbell.

"Mr. Campbell," Connie said firmly, "I received your e-mail. You confronted me on the street. I have always said no. Now please leave."

"Oh come on," said Mr. Campbell, "you should be out celebrating that verdict. But not with that prick of a co-prosecutor you have."

"Whether Mike Cutter is a prick or not and whether I celebrate my court victories or not is my business," Connie said, her voice wavering. "Now, please leave, or I will phone the police."

Mr. Campbell did quite the opposite. He burst through the door and pinned Connie to the wall.

"Oh you'll celebrate," said Mr. Campbell. "With me."

Connie began to shake uncontrollably. Then, she screamed.

Mike was all prepared to apologize. He had just stepped off the elevator with a red rose in his hand. And then he heard the scream. _Holy crap, _he thought as he started to run down the hall, _that sounded like Connie._

Connie was pinned against the wall, screaming for her life. She was writhing, and trying to escape from Mr. Campbell.

And then all of a sudden, like a beacon of light, Mike burst through the door.

"Let her go you creep!" he shouted. This distracted Mr. Campbell enough for Connie to escape. She bolted in to her bedroom and dialed nine-one-one.

"Hello? 33rd Precinct? Lieutenant Van Buren… yes, this is ADA Rubirosa. Someone is attacking EADA Cutter and I in my apartment… yes, it has something to do with that creepy juror from the Melinda Whitman case… thirty seconds? Thanks."

The police, as promised, burst through the door thirty seconds later. Connie went out to greet them, and then looked at the floor.

"Oh my," Connie said. "Oh my god."

And then she fainted.


	2. Black Roses Red

Consuela Rubirosa was having a complete loss of faith in humanity. She contemplated this as she sat in a hospital chair. Michael was in surgery, after having defended her from Mr. Campbell. Connie shuddered at the thought of what might have happened if Michael hadn't come to save her. And what made the whole thing worse for Connie is that when he saved her, he had come to apologize.

Frankly, she felt like this whole entire thing was her fault.

She held the rose he brought for her as tears spilled down her face. She looked at the rose. It was shriveling and turning from red to black. Connie thought the rose mad a accurate metaphor for how she was feeling.

Connie put her head in her hands. Jack walked over to her and sat down beside her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I've seen better days," said Connie, sniffling. "What's the word on Campbell?"

"Locked up at the 33rd precinct," said Jack. "I'm going to prosecute him myself, that bastard. Attempted murder and attempted rape."

"Don't you think that's a little ambitious?" said Connie.

"My nickname is Hang 'Em High," said Jack. I think I can manage." He leaned in closer to Connie. "You know, only someone who really loves you would have done that for you."

Connie sighed. "I know, and that's why I feel so terrible. And I guess I kind of feel the same way."

Jack smiled, "Your affections are well placed." He got up and left.

Connie resolved to tell Mike exactly how she felt about him when he woke up. If he woke up.

Connie returned her eyes to the wall. She felt tears coming and made no effort to suppress them.

"Ms. Rubirosa?" said a nurse who approached Connie.

"Yes?" said Connie, suddenly anxious.

"Mr. Cutter is out of surgery and in to recovery," said the nurse. "You can see him now, but he won't be awake."

Connie exhaled a sigh of relief and followed the nurse to Mike's room. She could see him through the window, all covered in bandages with an IV sticking out of his arm. It was so hard to see Mike, normally such a strong man, looking so small. She inhaled, and stepped inside. There was a chair beside his bed. She sat down in it. As soon as she touched his arm, all the emotion inside her welled back up to the surface.

"Oh Mike," she said, "I'm really sorry about today. I was so mad, and I shouldn't have left, I should have let apologize, and then you came and defended me from that creep. And now you're here and it's all my fault. I'm so sorry…" she said, and paused before she continued, "And I love you."

She sighed and stroked Mike's hand. She just sat there for what seemed like hours, just staring at him. Eventually, a nurse came and suggested she leave, but she just sat in that chair. She wasn't leaving Michael alone. Eventually she fell asleep.

Connie was woken up by someone tapping her leg.

"Muh?" she said, looking over and seeing that Mike was awake. "Thank god," she said, and kissed him on the forehead.

"Connie," said Mike, "It's three in the morning. What the heck are you still doing here?"

"Well," Connie said, "It's just something you do when you care about someone."

"But you still have to work tomorrow, don't you?" said Mike, as he propped himself up with some difficulty.

"I can deal with Jack," said Connie. "But for some funny reason, I think he'll be okay with it."

"Yeah." Said Mike. There was a pause. "Connie," he said, "I heard everything you said to me. But you probably thought I was asleep. That was what pulled me through."

Connie felt the tears come again. "Jack… he told you, didn't he?"

"No," said Mike, "not exactly. But he did help me realize my feelings, because I had been ignoring them."

Connie smiled. "So do you love me?"

"Would I have jumped in front of your would-be rapist if I didn't?"

"I need the satisfaction of hearing you say it." Connie smiled. This was the Mike Cutter she was used to.

"Okay," said Mike, "Connie Rubirosa, I love you." He went back to sleep.

Connie smiled at him. Then she saw something red at the foot of his bed. She thought it was blood, but upon closer examination, it was the rose Michael had brought for her.

It was no longer shriveled and black. It was as bright red as it was when Mike would have bought it.

Connie smiled. _That's the healing power of love for you,_ she thought. And for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Connie thought everything was going to be just fine.


End file.
